[img:ILBBQ.jpg]LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The aromas from the pit bosses will once again waft from the Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Lake Placid when the I LOVE BBQ AND MUSIC FESTIVAL, benefitting the Thomas Shipman Youth Center in Lake Placid, returns July 2-4.

The I LOVE BBQ Junior World Championships will take place on Sunday, July 3, while Grand Champion and New York State Championship titles will be decided on Monday, July 4. All three events are sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

Daily admission is $6 for adults; children under 10 will be admitted free of charge. The event is organized by USA Luge and Marketing Manager Dmitry Feld, who is also Board President of the Shipman Youth Center.

The headliner this year will be renowned British chef Peter Sidwell from England's Lake District. Sidwell (www.simplygoodtaste.co.uk) starred on The Lakes on a Plate television series which aired on Channel 4 in England and is currently running in Canada and New Zealand. Sidwell is now in pre-production for his second TV series. He is coming specifically to Lake Placid to be a celebrity judge at the event for the I Love BBQ Junior World Championships, and will also conduct a cooking demonstration at Milano North restaurant on Main Street in Lake Placid on Saturday, July 2, from 12-1 PM. "I am really looking forward to coming to the United States," said Sidwell. "I have never had the chance to cross the pond as yet and I love a good barbecue, so what better opportunity than the World Junior BBQ Championships. I hope to show you a little taste of my local produce as I am very proud of it. But I'm equally excited to take a look and have a taste of your local produce."

Sidwell wrote a book – Simply Good Taste - in 2007, which sold 4,000 copies. Two years later, the book intrigued Simon and Schuster, and the publisher moved his work nationally. Now the chef is working on three new books over the next two years: Simply Good Pasta, Simply Good Bread and Simply Good Family Food.

Festival patrons can sample the many barbecue delicacies during the weekend. There will be a pulled pork and chicken wing tasting on July 2 from 1-3 PM. A $3 Rib Fest, where the general public can sample the best ribs in the East, will be offered on July 3 from 1-3 PM. It was formerly known as buck-a-rib, and is held in memory of former Festival competitor Mike Grudzinskas.

Live music, including appearances by Grammy Award winner Buckwheat Zydeco, Heidi Little, Sven Curth, Lowell Bailey and many others, will be offered over the three days.

Other entertainment will come in the form of the Krusher BMX Stunt Team, with its high-energy BMX bike and in-line skating exhibitions, on July 3 at 2 PM, 3 PM and 6 PM. There will be a kid's bounce around area and coconut climbing trees.

In the previous five years of the event, nearly $90,000 has been raised for the Thomas Shipman Youth Center through the I LOVE BBQ AND MUSIC FESTIVAL.

For more information and a complete schedule of activities, please log on to www.ilbbqf.com.

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 Contact: Sandy Caligiore, 518-637-3597, sandy@usaluge.org